A lot of folks who study Japanese martial arts are familiar with the Hagakure. Some call it the Book of the Samurai, but the best translation is “Hidden by Leaves.” When I’m teaching martial arts, I don’t want anything to be obscured, so I entitled this short piece Nikkō Ni Sarasa Remasu (Exposed to Sunlight). I don’t want there to be any mysteries here. This piece will be written in the style of the Hagakure.

This is specifically for those who want the “quick and dirty” on practical personal protection.

Below is a quick excerpt from an upcoming white paper that I’m working on.

Please do as Bruce Lee advised: “Absorb what is useful. Discard what is not. Add to it what is uniquely your own.”

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Five Floors of Training

Think of building a house. The foundation is conditioning. Not everyone will become an elite-level athlete, but one must get in decent shape. When one is in good shape, they can better execute specific techniques. The techniques lead to more tactical options that serve to accomplish your objective (strategy). Over time, confidence is gained and the ability to operate under stressful conditions (adrenal response) gives one fudoshin (a warrior’s mindset — grace when under attack)

Five Ranges of a Fight

When violence erupts, it happens in one of five ranges. Going from furthest to closest, they are as follows: projectile; striking; clinching; wrestling; and twisting. One must endeavor to determine which techniques and/or tools are best suited to a given situation. For instance, a head-butt is not the best technique to focus on when your threat is 20 feet away from you.

Five Pillars of Practical Personal Protection

Neophytes tend to spend too much time on learning empty-hand and weapon techniques that they cannot readily use. Those with more training and experience focus on the things that can best keep them safe. Those things are being aware, efficiency, multi-piece striking combinations, less-than-lethal weaponry that is legal to carry, and escaping.

Five Core Physical Principles

After years of trial and error, the learned student discovers that there are five things that allows her to be efficiently effective. One must be relaxed, but not limp. Relaxation creates suppleness and the ability to generate speed. Speed equals power when striking and executing throws. One must keep in perpetual motion as a moving target is hard to hit. Motion may also include feints which helps you to draw your attacker to where you want him so you can better neutralize the threat. A feint is designed to make your attacker predictable. Abruptly changing directions can cause a whiplash effect or centrifugal force thus generating power. Balance disruption allows for you to best control your attacker and to make him lighter for throwing and slower to respond to your offensive. Staying in touch (i.e., “sticking”) to your attacker best enables you to feel his movements whilst disguising your own.

Five Hand Strikes

Striking with the knuckles of a clenched fist is not advised. Boxers wrap their hands and wear padded gloves to protect their hands, not their opponent’s face. Open-hand strikes are best for personal protection. Palm strikes, chops, crane head/wrist strikes and heavy-hand slaps are all recommended. Hammer fists are suggested as well being that you are not using the knuckles.

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I hope that you got some value for the time that you spent reading this blog post.